Archive for August, 2017

Our daily digest is a mid-day update on the stories we’re following in Texas politics today. Here’s what we’re watching:

VP Pence Visits Texas Coast:

Vice President Mike Pence says around 21-thousand federal officials are on the ground in Texas to help. He and other members of President Trump’s cabinet, along with Gov. Abbott, toured damaged parts of the state today.

They also met with victims, reassuring them they’re here to help.

“We are with you today. We will be with you tomorrow and we will be with you everyday until this great state and these great communities recover and rebuild to be even better and stronger than ever before,” Pence said.

Pence and Abbott also worked to clear tree debris in Rockport before taking a helicopter to survey the area’s storm damage.

Pence’s visit comes two days after President Trump visited Corpus Christi and Austin for briefings with local officials.

Trump is expected to return to Texas on Saturday and tour the Houston area.

Former Houston Mayor Bill White:

It was twelve years ago that the then Mayor of Houston opened his city’s doors to thousands of homeless Hurricane Katrina victims. Now, Bill White has found himself in need of shelter.

On Sunday, White’s Houston home began to fill with gallons of water forcing him to fend for himself as he waded through waist-deep water in search of dry land.

Today, he got back into his home to see the damage.

“Were tearing out the sheet rock in our house so you won’t get mold. My wife and I are camping out without AC on the second floor,” White said.

White’s house is along one of the popular bayous. When asked why he didn’t evacuate, this was his response:

“We built the house with design and engineering saying it would be a 500 year, or 1000 year event, and it survived Tropical Storm Allison, which was one of those one in 100 events as well. But this hurricane Harvey was freakish and it dumped about 50 inches of rain within a period of 4 or 5 days. That’s as much as some areas around here get in an entire year. So the water didn’t have anywhere else to go.

And there’s a lot of memories here, I wanted to protect my furniture and belongings.”

Hear White’s full interview tonight at 7pm.

Gas Prices:

Hurricane Harvey’s havoc is being felt at the gas pumps. Prices in Texas and across the country have spiked by at least a dime since the storm made landfall.

People are lined up to fill up.

Dallas has had the most expensive gas in the state at an average of 2.37 per gallon. AAA Texas reports today the average price at the pump statewide was $2.26. That’s 12 cents higher than a week ago.

The national average is 2.45 — which is 10 cents higher than a week ago.

Energy Secretary and former Texas Governor Rick Perry chimed in today about the sudden spike.

“Gas prices are going to go up because of the cut in supply,” Perry said.

President Trump’s trying to keep gas prices in check and reduce the chance of shortages after Harvey knocked out several refineries. He’s releasing half a million barrels of oil from the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Thirteen refineries in Texas are either shut down or in the process of closing. Refineries that are still operating in the area have less access to crude oil due to port closures.

One hopeful sign — the Colonial Pipeline, which carries gas to the east coast from Houston, estimates it can resume carrying fuel through Texas by Sunday. It provides nearly 40 percent of the South’s gasoline.

Dr. Fred Beach, assistant director for Energy and Technology Policy at the Energy Institute at UT-Austin, joins us at 7pm to discuss Harvey’s toll on the energy industry.

Abortion Ruling:

Dozens of new state laws are set to go into effect tomorrow. But some last minute rulings have temporarily blocked a couple of controversial measures.

Today, a federal judge halted Texas’ newest anti-abortion law. An Austin-based judge blocked the state from banning a common second trimester abortion procedure, known as dilation and evacuation.

Similar bans have been stopped in four other states.

The Texas version was approved by state lawmakers earlier this year and was set to take effect tomorrow. The state is expected to appeal the ruling.

SB4 Blocked:

And key portions of the state’s anti-sanctuary cities law were blocked by a federal judge last night. Opponents call the measure a “show me your papers” law. They sued and the ruling temporarily halts it — allowing the case time to proceed.

It’s a significant blow to Governor Abbott and other Republicans who have backed the measure…and said it’s needed to keep Texans safe.

The law allows local law enforcement officers to question the immigration status of people they detain.

It also seeks to punish local government officials who don’t cooperate with federal immigration detainer requests.

Our daily digest is a mid-day update on the stories we’re following in Texas politics today. Here’s what we’re watching:

Harvey Latest:

The storm may finally be moving out of Texas — but the road to recovery has only just begun. Preliminary estimates from AccuWeather predict Harvey could be the costliest natural disaster in US history.

The price tag — roughly $160 billion.

Rescue operations continue in Houston and other parts of the state. At least 20 people have died because of the storm.

Governor Greg Abbott was briefed on the latest today and held a press conference to give an update…

“The worst is not yet over for southeast Texas as far as the rain is concerned,” Abbott said. “There will be ongoing challenges both during the time that rain continues to fall as well as for approx. four days to a week to come.”

Abbott also says more than 32,000 people are in shelters and the state has an additional 30,000 beds ready to go if needed.

About 10,000 additional National Guard troops from around the country are being deployed to help out bringing the total to around 24,000.

And more than 200,000 have registered for federal assistance and FEMA has provided more than 5 million meals.

Price Gouging:

The Attorney General’s office says it’s received hundreds of reports about price gouging in the wake of Harvey.

As of this morning, it had tallied 684 complaints including scams, fraud and charities. One Houston convenience store was charging 20 dollars per gallon for gas. Others complaints include $8.50 for bottles of water and $99 dollars for a case of water.

Offenders who engage in price gouging can face fines of up to $20,000 per offense, and up to $250,000 if the victim is 65 or older.

The A-G’s office is urging consumers to file a complaint or call the attorney general’s hotline if they feel they are victims of price gouging.

Pence to Visit Texas:

Vice President Mike Pence will visit Texas tomorrow. He made the announcement while speaking at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

Pence says the president personally asked him and the second lady to go to Texas to reassure the people hit hardest — that the administration stands with them.

No word yet on where the Vice President will visit.

Congressman and US Senate Candidate Beto O’Rourke:

Due to Hurricane Harvey hitting the Texas coast on Friday — we were unable to air our interview with Congressman and US Senate Candidate Beto O’Rourke.

The El Paso Democrat is challenging Sen. Ted Cruz. O’Rourke’s been on a 34-day Texas tour — but canceled several events due to the storm.

We sat down with him on Friday to discuss the campaign, the Democratic party and his take on Trump. Hear his full interview at 7pm.

Speaking to reporters after an event with veterans in Austin this morning, Cornyn wouldn’t say whether Trump’s remarks were helping or hurting the Republican agenda in Washington.

Instead, he referred to Trump’s fiery speech in Arizona as him being in “campaign mode.”

“I think the president was speaking to a very enthusiastic base of voters that helped him win on Nov. 8. But my experience is running for election is very different than governing. And it’s really important that we work together with the president to try to get his agenda passed.”

Cornyn, the majority whip and second most powerful lawmaker in the Senate, also didn’t deny that Sen. McConnell and Trump aren’t on speaking terms. But he did say he and McConnell communicate with the White House daily.

Veteran Truckers:

Military services affords veterans countless skills and experiences. Now one Texas lawmaker wants to make it easier for veterans to put some of those skills to work.

US Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, says he wants to make it easier for military veterans to go from driving vehicles on the battlefield, to driving trucks at home.

It’s called the Jobs for Our Heroes Act.

It’s aimed at streamlining the process by which active duty service members, reservists, and veterans with experience operating heavy vehicles in the military can apply for a civilian commercial drivers license.

Sen. Cornyn says he wants to ensure that hardworking veterans with the right skills are able to find good work after they’ve left the battlefield.

“I think it not only keeps our commitment to our active duty military once they become veterans, but it also helps employers like Coca-Cola get the trained workforce they need in order to keep doing their job,” Cornyn said during a visit to Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages in Austin today.

Cornyn says the bill will go to the full Senate this fall for a vote.

Ag Commissioner Sid Miller:

While the debate over removing Confederate statues is back in the spotlight following Charlottesville, the conversation is not new — particularly here in Texas.

There are more than 150 confederate statues and place names in the state, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

And while the University of Texas recently removed three of them from the campus’ main mall, if state lawmakers had passed a bill in 2007 by then State Rep. Sid Miller, they’d likely still be standing.

“Any monuments on the Capitol ground, before they can be removed, have to be approved by the State Preservation Board,” Miller said. “The legislation that I introduced and did not pass, would have expanded that to state properties, which would have included the University of Texas.”

The current Agriculture Commissioner also said he doesn’t agree with removing the statues.

“We need to preserve our history, we don’t need to sanitize it. It is what it is and we need to preserve that for future generations so they can learn from it,” Miller said.

Watch our full interview with Miller at 7pm.

Political Analysts:

Democrat Harold Cook and Republican Ted Delisi discuss President Trump’s fiery speech in Arizona and the debate over confederate statues.

Our daily digest is a mid-day update on the stories we’re following in Texas politics today. Here’s what we’re watching:

Trump’s Arizona Rally:

Protesters and counter-protesters are showing up in Phoenix, Arizona, where the president is set to hold a campaign rally tonight.

Just a week after violent, deadly protests in Virginia, the White House is struggling to combat criticism that the president failed to strike the right tone afterwards. We’ll have a preview of what to expect from the president.

Trump’s Afghanistan Strategy:

In his first prime-time foreign policy speech as President, Trump laid out his strategy for Afghanistan last night. Democratic lawmakers have criticized the president’s plan for having too few details.

But we’ll explain why Trump says it’s part of his strategy to not talk about troop levels or specific military plans.

Keeping Texas elections secure: that’s the goal of a new measure recently signed into law.

During the special legislative session, lawmakers approved a bill that will increase the penalties for mail-in ballot fraud.

Only Texans who are disabled, who are 65 or older, or Texas voters who are outside their home counties can vote by mail, and voting officials say the new measure will play an important role in ensuring their votes are secure.

“So it’s really designed to increase penalties where that’s concerned, to something where a misdemeanor might be bumped up to a higher level offense,” Caroline Geppert with the Texas Secretary of State’s Office said. “It added penalties to the law. For example, it makes it extremely clear if you own someone else’s ballot without their permission.”

But this new law has a side effect.

Coming up at 7 on Capital Tonight, how it will overturn a different measure aimed at helping people in nursing homes vote.

Mental Health Reforms:

While there wasn’t a lot state lawmakers could agree on during the regular – or special session, a move to address the mental health crisis in Texas received bipartisan support.

More money was devoted to the cause and bills including insurance parity for mental health disorders and substance abuse, and increasing awareness through education, were all approved.

Another piece is part of the so-called Sandra Bland Act. It was named for a 28-year-old woman who was found dead in the Waller County jail in 2015, days after being arrested during a routine traffic stop.

Lawmakers and leaders met today to discuss how to implement the new law. Greg Hansch of NAMI-Texas joins us at 7 to discuss how it will help protect people with mental illness who are arrested and may harm themselves in jail.

He also weighs in on the strides made on mental health during the regular session and how it could help curb the state’s crisis.

Our daily digest is a mid-day update on the stories we’re following in Texas politics today. Here’s what we’re watching:

UT-Austin Removes Confederate Statues:

After the violence in Charlottesville, leaders at the University of Texas felt the time was right to remove three Confederate statues on campus.

UT President Greg Fenves said the statues were being removed because they depict parts of American history that “run counter to the university’s core values.” His email to the campus was sent just before 11pm.

Now all that remains are slabs of granite where the statues used to be.
Workers came in the middle of the night to remove the monuments and were still at work this morning shaving down the bolts that used to hold the statues in place.

Now, the statues will go to the Briscoe Center for American History where they’ll be available to academics.

“We’re taking this material as educational material and material evidence of the past that people can use for research,” Don Carleton with the Briscoe Center said.

At 7, hear from students and alumni who have differing opinions on the removal of the statues.

Trump Afghanistan Strategy:

At 8pm, President Trump will give a major primetime address to the nation, laying out his strategy for Afghanistan. What he announces will not just have huge implications for the US and the military, but for the global war on terrorism and stability in the region. We’ll have a preview of what to expect at 7pm.

Comptroller Glenn Hegar:

Just as the Texas Legislature was nearing its special session end last week, they got some good news from the Texas Comptroller — he found an extra $196 million for them to work with. So did they utilize it — and what’s that say about the Texas economy today? Hear from Comptroller Glenn Hegar tonight.

On the Agenda:

And the Quorum Report’s Harvey Kronberg joins us to dissect the abrupt end to the special session and the political fallout for the “big three.”

Our daily digest is a mid-day update on the stories we’re following in Texas politics today. Here’s what we’re watching:

Bannon Out:

Another White House staffer is out of a job.

President Trump parted ways with his controversial chief strategist Stephen Bannon today after days of rumors that the firebrand conservative was on the outs.

Meanwhile, President Trump faces a two-front battle after his reactions to the violence in Charlottesville and the terror in Barcelona. We’ll have the latest at 7.

Redistricting Update:

The state won’t ask lawmakers to come back and redraw congressional maps. Instead, it’s asking the nation’s highest court to step in and keep the boundaries in tact for 2018.

Attorney General Ken Paxton is appealing a lower court’s ruling this week that invalidated two of the state’s 36 congressional districts.

On Tuesday, judges ruled the districts violate the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act. One is held by Democrat Lloyd Doggett — the other by Republican Blake Farenthold.

But Paxton argues the maps Texas has used for the last three election cycles are lawful and should remain in place.

Six Flags Changes to all American Flags:

The Confederate flag will no longer fly at Six Flags Over Texas. The Arlington-based theme park announced today it will fly six American flags.

A spokeswoman says they “always choose to focus on celebrating the things that unite us versus those that divide us.”

The park was named for the six flags that have flown over Texas — Confederate and those of Spain, Mexico, France, the Republic of Texas and the US.

The Confederate flag the park flew was not the battle flag known for its cross design.

It was an earlier one known as the “stars and bars.”

Reporter Roundtable:

Capitol Press Corps reporter Madlin Mekelburg of the El Paso Times and Bob Garrett of the Dallas Morning News join our reporter roundtable to discuss the abrupt end to the Texas Legislature’s Special Session and the debate surrounding Confederate statues in Texas.

PolitiFact Texas:

And Gardner Selby is in to put Gov. Abbott to the truth-o-meter over a claim about Texas jobs.

He also rates this statement from San Antonio activist and trans-woman Ashley Smith:

Says transgender residents make up “about 1-in-300 people, we’re all over the place, we’re your friends and your neighbors.”

Our daily digest is a mid-day update on the stories we’re following in Texas politics today. Here’s what we’re watching:

Sine Die – Now What?:

With the special session over, the blame game has already started. Governor Greg Abbott is lashing out at the Texas House after several of his priority items failed to pass during the overtime session.

On a Houston radio show this morning, the Governor said that all options are on the table if lawmakers would show they’d be able to get something done.

However, special sessions are costly, and the governor said he would be working to get more support on his priorities before considering another call.

The governor also joined a chorus of conservative lawmakers who have pinned blame for the special session deadlock on the House, saying leadership didn’t take all of the agenda items seriously.

“They were wasting time, they were not garnering votes, they were not taking votes, they were not trying to answer the call,” Abbott said in a KTRH radio interview.

Abbott was also asked about Speaker Straus’ lack of support for the bathroom bill. The Governor suggested the issue will never pass as long as Straus is Speaker and went on to say that’s why “elections matter.”

We’ll have the Speaker’s response to the special session and more post-special session fallout on Capital Tonight at 7.

Trump Latest:

President Trump has left New York City after a two-day stay that included perhaps the most explosive moments of his presidency. Our New York reporter, Josh Robin, will have more on the fallout over the president’s remarks about the deadly violence in Virginia.

Rep. Joaquin Castro:

The San Antonio Democratic Congressman joined us for a one-on-one interview today to discuss Trump’s comments, DACA, the state’s new anti-sanctuary cities law and 2018. Catch the full interview at 7pm.

Political Analysts:

Political analysts Democrat Harold Cook and Republican Ted Delisi are in to give their take on Trump’s comments and the political fallout after an abrupt special session ending.

Both the Texas House and Senate ended the legislative special session a day early.

A stalemate over property tax reform led the House to adjourn first, telling the upper chamber to accept their version or get nothing. But senators said no thanks.

“We’re not going to accept the take-it-or-leave-it proposal from the House and we are going to fight another day,” Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said.

The Senate then adjourned at around 10 Tuesday night.

At issue was a measure that would have required property tax elections if local governments’ revenue exceeds six percent from the year before. The Senate wanted the cap set at four percent.

The stalemate sets up the possibility of Gov. Greg Abbott calling lawmakers back for a second special session. He called property tax reform a top priority for the 30-day special session that was set to end Wednesday.

His office offered this statement Tuesday night:

“Our office believes this special session has produced a far better Texas than before.”

The Texas House and Senate ended the special session a day early. Gov. Abbott got a few of his 20 bills passed, but lawmakers did not go 20 for 20.

Here’s the latest on where his agenda stands:

What Abbott’s signed into law:

Of his 20 items, Gov. Abbott has signed a handful into law. They include the must-pass sunset legislation needed to keep several state agencies operating. Abbott also signed a bill Friday to combat mail-in ballot fraud.

Tuesday, he signed legislation requiring large cities to hold elections in areas before they annex them. Abbott has also signed a bill increasing abortion complication reporting requirements and requiring women to pay a separate health insurance premium if they want their health plans to cover non-emergency abortions.

School Finance: Lawmakers approved about $560 million in extra funding for schools and retired teachers. It’s much less than the $1.8 billion the House originally sought.

Anti-tree Ordinances: New limits on local tree ordinances have been sent to the Governor’s desk. But they aren’t as sweeping as original proposals to virtually wipe out all such ordinances statewide.

Regulating Do-Not Resuscitate Orders: A Senate bill is headed to the Governor’s desk.

What’s dead:

Property Tax Reform:

The House and Senate couldn’t come to a compromise on property tax reform and left the session early without working it out.

In an unusual move, House members left for good Tuesday evening with one day still remaining in the special session. That move forced the Senate to accept the House version of a controversial property tax bill or risk seeing nothing done.

They said no thanks and gaveled out for good as well. The stalemate sets up the possibility of the governor calling lawmakers back for another overtime session.

What the bill would have done: House version required property tax elections if local governments’ revenue exceeds six percent from the year before.

Teacher Pay Increase of $1000: Abbott asked lawmakers to pass a measure that would give Texas teachers a $1000 pay raise. But groups criticized it as an unfunded mandate. Neither chamber approved such a bill yet.

Let’s keep the conversation going on our political blog! Capital Roundup is an extension of the interviews, debates, analysis and commentary seen on our nightly political show, Capital Tonight. We invite you to join the discussion.

Capital Tonight airs live every night at 7 p.m. with a replay at 11 p.m.